The year 2020 is almost over! Only two more days left and we will welcome 2021.

Are you excited to step into the new year?

I know that many of us are eager for the new year to start.

Many are wishing and hoping that this new year would enable us to say goodbye to the problems that 2020 has brought with it.

I am also wishing that we can leave the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. I wish that we do not need to deal with it anymore in 2021.

But, the recent events and developments tell us otherwise. There is an even new and more infectious strain of the virus.

So, I think we will need to adjust our expectations this new year without losing hope.

That brings me to my #OneWord for 2020.

#OneWord 2020

I usually pray and ask God to reveal to me the direction and focus that I need to take for the following year before the year ends.

Since 2015, I had been practicing this #OneWord approach to help me simplify things.

I guess most of us have made New Year’s resolutions in the past. However, many of us also found it hard to stick to our New Year’s resolutions. Either they were too many for us or they were not realistic.

I’m glad that I discovered this practice or approach and it has proven to be effective for me.

I have modified it a bit to suit my beliefs and my way of life. But, essentially, it still has the same purpose.

So, aside from praying for my #OneWord for the year, I also pray for my One Verse for the year. That is the Bible verse that God wants me to use as my guiding verse for the whole year and what I need to live out more.

This 2020, my #OneWord was HOPE.

That was affirmed or confirmed by this Bible verse to me:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future full of HOPE.” – Jeremiah 29:11

Tonight, as I looked back on the words that I have chosen and embraced each year as my #OneWord, I realized something.

I realized why HOPE was perfect as my #OneWord for 2020. It was something that God didn’t want me to give up or lose despite the many problems and challenges that 2020 has brought with it.

God wanted me to keep on hoping even when everything around me seemed bleak. He wanted me to still hope even when it seemed impossible to achieve what I wanted to achieve.

God wanted me to hold on tightly to Him, to hope in Him no matter what.

I’m so grateful for my One Verse this year. I read or recite this verse every single day upon waking up. I believe that this practice has helped me a lot in keeping my hope alive even on days when I am beset by worries or anxieties because of the pandemic.

I look back to the past months and the year that was and my heart is filled with thanksgiving because, truly, I did not lose hope in God. I did not lose hope that better days are coming. I did not lose hope in the future.

Sure, there were days when my hope was running low. There were days when I was more scared than hopeful.

But God did not let me give it up altogether. God granted me the grace to just keep on hoping. God granted me the grace to remember that those who hope in Him do not hope in vain.

Today, I led a group of women into a Day of Prayer. One of the things that we did was to pray for our #OneWord and One Verse for the year.

How to Determine Your #OneWord and One Verse for the New Year

Let me share with you how you can find out what your #OneWord will be and your One Verse. I encourage you to try this approach, especially if you have not been lucky in keeping your New Year’s resolutions.

First, ask the Lord in prayer for guidance. The Bible says that if we ask, we will receive. If we seek, we will find. So, ask God what your #OneWord should be for the new year. Ask Him what your guiding verse should be.

Second, ponder on these questions for reflection:

1. What does God want me to be or be more of next year?
2. What does God want me to do or do more of next year?
3. What Bible verse does God want me to live out more or to experience more next year?

Third, if you are not sure what your word for the year should be, because it does happen that a few words will resonate with you and different bible verses would inspire or excite you, compare the Bible verses and read them repeatedly and prayerfully. Read also the different translations or versions. This will help you feel what calls to you more or what speaks more to your heart. My One Word usually comes from the Bible verse that God leads me to own and embrace for the new year.

My last tip is that your #OneWord and One Verse should both excite and challenge you.

Yesterday, I was torn between two Bible verses regarding my One Verse for the year. Thus, I checked out the various translations for these two verses, read them repeatedly and prayerfully, until I felt certain of the one that God wants me to choose.

#OneWord 2021

My #OneWord for 2021 is NEW.

This is the word that keeps coming into my mind as I meditated on the direction that God wanted me to take in the new year. At first, I did not take it seriously because I felt that it was too obvious or cliche. I prayed harder and I searched for the Bible verses that had the word NEW in them.

I read each verse slowly and prayerfully.

Then, I narrowed down the verses into two verses that spoke to my heart.

These Bible verses were from Revelations 21:5 and Isaiah 43:19.

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelations 21:5)

“I am creating something new! There it is! Do you see it? I have put roads in deserts, streams in thirsty lands.” (Isaiah 43:19, Contemporary English Version)

I chose the verse from the book of Isaiah over the verse from the book of Revelations because even before 2020 ends, God has already told me the new things that He wants me to do. He has also enabled me to start working on these new things. I can already see partly what these new things that God is creating through me and the new me that He wants to create.

Moreover, the last part is perfect for what I need to believe in in 2021 even if the pandemic continues. God is telling me through this verse that God will make a way for me even in the seemingly bleak and dreary landscape around me. God is telling me again that nothing is impossible with Him. He can make a way for me even if there seems to be no way. He can make the impossible possible again in my life. I just need to trust Him again and obey Him.

I am, in truth, both excited and nervous. I’m excited about the new things that are about to happen and the new me that will emerge. I am nervous because I do not know exactly what will happen or how things will pan out. Most of all, I am happy and at peace. Why? Because I know that I have accepted and embraced God’s Perfect Will for me this coming 2021.

So, expect some announcements from me soon!

I will share here in this blog and on my social media pages the new things that God and I are preparing or cooking up.

How about you? Have you paused and made time to reflect on the past year? Have you chosen your #OneWord for 2021?

I encourage you to do this activity of asking God for direction as we wait and step into the new year. This is one way to ensure that your year would be fruitful. I know and I can say this with conviction because this has been my experience.